


Meaning

by C_C



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-28
Updated: 2012-09-28
Packaged: 2017-11-15 05:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/523473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_C/pseuds/C_C
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray needs his sleep, so what's that God awful noise?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meaning

Ray groans and stumbles out of bed. Fraser’s dead to the world, which makes Ray simultaneously proud and annoyed. Annoyed because he shouldn’t be the only disturbed by the pounding and the sawing. But proud because he has to figure the mind blowing sex is a contributing factor in his partner’s near comatose state.

Ray has decided that his whole “pound on the wall and hope it shuts the neighbors up” plan is a bust. After three damn nights it’s time to investigate. Which means putting on pants. With the alternative being going into court  after getting no sleep for the third night in a row it really isn’t a choice. Especially with Stella on his ass about the whole damn thing.

Listening seems like a good place to start but what he hears only confuses Ray. The noises aren’t coming from the apartment next door. All the sounds are coming from the bedroom closet.

Weird or not it has to stop, so Ray opens his closet door, unsure what to expect. The sight that greets him makes him pinch himself, because it’s not his closet at all. There’s no sign of his suits or Fraser’s uniforms. Instead an old guy in the full Mountie get up is installing flooring in what can only be called a cabin.

It takes Ray a minute to gather his wits and decide that he is awake even if he’s seeing things. For reasons he can’t begin to articulate he knocks on the inside of the door.

The old man glances at him but goes right on working. Done with polite Ray goes for direct instead, “Who are you and why are you doing construction in my bedroom closet at 3am?”

The old guy huffs at that, “Atrocious manners. I swear that boy needs a talking to about who he associates with.”

That bothers Ray, “I‘m not the one who moved into another man‘s closet without so much as introducing myself.”

The old man seems a little embarrassed at that. He holds out a hand to Ray, “Robert Fraser, RCMP.”

Before that processes Ray shakes his hand, “Ray Vecchio, CPD.” Then it hits him, “ _Robert_ Fraser? As in Ben‘s dad? As in ‘Ben came to Chicago on the trail of his father‘s killers?’”

“Well yes,” Bob says looking sheepish. “Which has a bit to do with why I’m rebuilding my office in your closet.”

“Okay you lost me there. Start at the beginning. If you‘re dead why are you hanging around?”

Bob ruffles a bit at that, “Well young man a father worries. When I died I realized Benton needed looking after. About the time you came along it became clear that I‘d be here for the long haul so I built myself an office in Benton‘s closet. When Benton moved in here I was forced to rebuild.”

“I think I need my head examined. That made sense.”

“Might your sudden onset of insanity convince you to leave Benton alone?”

“Not a chance in hell,” Ray shakes his head. “I assume you tired to convince Ben to leave me before resorting to asking me to leave _him_?”

“Benton has this ridiculous romantic notion of true love.”

“True love isn‘t ridiculous. It ain‘t easy, but it‘s not ridiculous either. So it‘s work. All good things are and what Ben and I have is good.” Ray takes a deep breath, “I get that in your day it wasn‘t something men did-”

Bob cuts him off, “Who ever told you such a thing was lying to you boy.”

Ray stares at Bob as if he’s grown a second head on the spot.

“In the cold you keep close quarters and things sometimes happen. But that‘s not love boy. It’s gratification.” Bob sighs, “It’s my own fault Benton doesn’t understand that. I just assumed he knew what I meant when I told him partnership is like marriage.”

“And what _did_ you mean by that?”

“That it requires a give and take to maintain any long term relationship be it personal or professional.”

“Then it‘s one lesson you did manage to teach Ben, actually,” Ray offers evenly. “Maybe the only thing, but I refuse to hurt him by assuming the worst of you.”

“You‘re missing the point Yank. He took it too literally, that has to be the explanation.”

“No sir. You‘re the one missing the point. Your son has made a decision about his life. For whatever reason he loves me and wants to be with me. You have no say in it. Not because you‘re dead, but because it‘s his life. Now I love him and promise you that I will do my best to watch his back and make sure he‘s happy as long as he‘ll have me. That promise is all I can give you, but it damn well better be enough, because if it isn‘t and you continue to hurt him I will call a goddamned exorcist, I swear to god.”

“Ray?” Fraser sounds confused, as he stands there, adorably ruffled in just his (no longer starched) boxer shorts.

“Go back to bed Ben, your dad and I were just about to come to an understanding.”

“You can see him?”

With that Ray turns the whole of his attention back to Fraser, “Looks like it, and hear him too. He why you talk to yourself the way you do?”

Watching a man try to loosen his collar when he’s only wearing boxer shorts is rather funny, Ray decides while Fraser works up the nerve to speak. “Most of the time. Sometimes it really is Diefenbaker.”

Ray nods, “Okay. Makes sense. Giving you one hell of a hard time about us, isn‘t he?”

“Well, to be perfectly frank, yes. Why did he say something to you?”

“He asked me to leave you alone,” Ray says with a shrug. “Don‘t much care though. As long as you don‘t ask me to go I ain‘t going nowhere.”

“And I can assure you that‘s a request I won‘t make,” Fraser returns quietly. “What are you doing in here Ray, don‘t you have court in the morning?”

“That‘s why I‘m in here. You might be able to sleep through just about anything but all that damn noise has kept me awake the past few nights.”

Bob makes an annoyed noise, “I‘ll have you know you two are noisier than any amount of construction I could do.”

“But we quit at a reasonable hour,” Ray snaps.

Fraser turns beet red and hisses, “Ray!”

“Have the neighbors even once complained?” Ray demands almost defensively.

Fraser’s blush deepens, “Actually…”

Ray flushes as well, “Who said something to you Ben?”

“Miss Johansen from across the hall asked that we keep our activities a bit quieter last Thursday…” He coughs, “I assumed she was in reference to the night before when we um…”

“Say no more Ben. But that wasn‘t about the time.” He turns to Robert. “Look I won’t try to ban you from the apartment or anything but there have got to be some ground rules.”

Bob bristles but asks, “Such as?”

“Construction is to take place between 9am and 7pm only.”

“Agreed.”

“You‘re to knock and wait to be acknowledged before coming out of this closet.”

“I have no intention of interrupting anything boy. I do not want to know. Let alone witness anything.”

“Good. And last but not least no more of this trying to break us up shit.”

“Language,” Fraser murmurs reflexively.

“Watch it Ben. We discussed this, foul language as you put is sometimes called for, and I‘d say your dead father doing his damnedest to break us up is one of those times.”

“Right you are Ray,” Fraser murmurs moving into Ray’s personal space. When he’s close enough he pulls Ray against him, back to chest, and addresses his father over Ray’s shoulder. “As I‘ve told you before Dad I love Ray and we‘re right where we belong. Now Ray has shown you as clearly as he can that he too is serious about us. ” Ray can feel Fraser smile against the side of neck, “Besides,  the fact that Ray can now see you proves tidily that he‘s family.”

“That doesn‘t stand to reason boy,” Bob protests.

Neither of the younger men responds to that. “Buck Frobisher is most certainly not family.”

Ray raises a skeptical eyebrow at that one, but it’s Fraser that speaks, “You spent more time with Buck, in one fashion or another, than you ever did with Mom or myself.  Even if you won’t acknowledge it that depth of familiarity implies a certain familial bond.”

Ray bites his lip on a comment about _gratification_ in the silence that follows.

Once again Fraser breaks the silence, “And he was around more when I was growing up. Don‘t think I didn‘t hear the rumors, the whispers, the speculation.”

Bob looks truly puzzled, “Speculation?”

Fraser laughs humorlessly. “Anytime we stopped somewhere long enough to get to know the other townsfolk the rumors would start. That while you were Mom‘s husband Buck must be my father, that it was the only way to explain the way each of you treated me. I knew it wasn‘t true of course. That Mom wouldn‘t have done such a thing. But they were right in one respect: Buck certainly acted the part better than you did.”

Ray starts a bit at that, “Deep breaths Ben,” he advises softly, pulling Fraser’s arms around himself more tightly.

“I‘m not angry Ray,” Fraser murmurs against his neck. “I‘m just taking your advise, letting the mask slip when it‘s safe, when I‘m home with you.”

That makes Ray smile. And Bob groan. “You‘ve gone soft boy. And you had best know better than to believe that piddle about your mother. She was a good woman.”

Fraser turns both himself and Ray toward the door, “’Night Dad.”

“Well I never!” Bob calls after them.

When the closet door clicks home behind them Ray laughs, “That was priceless.”

Fraser laughs too, “He deserved it. As do you. He had no right to treat you that way. Not when he knows I love you.” He begins kissing Ray’s neck and jaw.

Ray sighs happily, “Love you too Ben, but I‘ve got to be in court in… five and a half hours.”

Fraser sighs, “If sleep is _that_ important to you…”

“I didn‘t say stop. Just hurry it up a bit, would ya? Sweet and slow is for weekends and right after we get home.”


End file.
